The NC State women’s basketball team defeated the Indiana in the ACC/B1G challenge, 84-70, at Reynolds Coliseum Thursday.
The Wolfpack (6-2) struggled late, but was able to close out the game and come out with a double-digit win against Hoosiers (4-3). Redshirt senior guard Dominique Wilson led the Pack with 23 points, five rebounds, three assists and one steal.
“I was trying to get to the basket,” Wilson said. “My 3-point shot was knocking down this game, that gave me a boost of energy to keep playing.”
The first quarter saw a tightly contested match, whereas neither team could gain a sustainable lead early. The Wolfpack ended the quarter on an 11-2 run to gain the lead, 19-14. Wilson led this run with 12 points, shooting 2 of 2 from behind the arc in the first quarter.
The Pack opened up the second quarter firing, shooting 4 of 5 from the field. However, it struggled to take care of the ball early in the second quarter, as it committed four turnovers before the halfway mark.
The Hoosiers did not start the second quarter well, as they shot 1 of 7 from the field early on. Despite the bad shooting, junior guard Tyra Buss tallied two back-to-back steals which lead to her making four consecutive free throws.
NC State finished the second quarter strong, as it shot 80 percent from the field and 3 of 5 from behind the arc. Wilson led the way with seven points, one rebound and one assist in the quarter, giving her 19 points at the half. The Wolfpack led 46-28 going into the break.
“[In the] first half, [Wilson] gave us a big lead,” head coach Wes Moore said. “[Wilson] was doing a great job.”
Indiana struggled in the second period, as it shot 4 of 12 from the field. Buss led the way for the Hoosiers, tallying 11 points to give her a total of 16 points at the half.
The Hoosiers dominated the third quarter, outscoring the Pack 23-14, which minimized the Pack’s lead, 60-51. Indiana shot 60 percent from the field, and Buss continued her domination as she tallied nine points in the quarter, which gave her 25 on the night.
The Pack could not find its groove in the third, as it shot 35 percent from the field and went 0 of 4 from behind the arc. The Pack ended the quarter going 0 of 8 from the field.
“[The team] relaxed a little bit and got too comfortable with the lead,” senior guard Miah Spencer said. “[Indiana players] were getting to the basket to easily and rebounding, basically out hustling us.”
The Hoosiers kept the hot hand entering the fourth quarter, as they went on an 8-1 run to bring the deficit within three, 61-58.
However, the Pack was able to finish strong and pull away from there. Junior forward Chelsea Nelson tallied nine points in the fourth, giving her a double-double on the night with 19 points and 12 rebounds.
“Chelsea Nelson, what a night,” Moore said. “I thought our [players] did a good job of getting her the ball and she was able to really be good at attacking.”
Despite not being able to gain a win from the game, Buss tallied 38 points shooting 14 of 15 from the free-throw line, and added five rebounds and three assists.
“I came out getting some good looks and taking it to the basket,” Buss said. “I had a lot of open layups and some tough shots I made, I think being aggressive and that’s my main thing.”
The Wolfpack looks to continue its momentum Sunday as it hosts North Florida in Reynolds Coliseum.
